2018, an underdog's story

“If Wayne had have thought with his big instead of his little head then I wouldn’t have had to rebuild the joint” And with that Nathan Brown walked out of his press conference and carried into rugby league folk lore.

The significance of Brown landing such a massive verbal jab on arguably the greatest coach in the game’s history is a watershed moment in 2018.

Nathan Brown, the Dragons’ reject who’s ended up at Newcastle via the Super League, assistant coaching roles and an infamous 2003 slap, just who is does he think is to launch such slanderous tough talk?

He hasn’t earned the right to stand up to Wayne Bennett! Wayne, the seven-time premiership winner, the former Australian coach, the current English coach, the former Queensland coach, a bloke with a list of achievements and accolades longer than Nathan Tinkler’s breakfast menu, was stood up to by two time wooden spoon eater Nathan Brown.

Brown’s ballsy jibe snorted at the sight of old fox’s accolades and premierships, flipped the bird at the Broncos’ mentor and dragged the multi-premiership winner’s personal life into the media mud.

Why is this significant? The significance of Brown’s fighting words lie in what they are part of; of what is taking place right now in the NRL. Across the code, the little guys, the forgotten, the downtrodden, the mocked, the weak are standing up this season. They’re spitting in the face of their bullies, their foes; they’re fighting back.

Want proof? Look at the Tigers and the Warriors. Both widely tipped to collect a most unwanted kitchen utensil. Both laughed at for their poor roster management, their awful club culture, their soft underbellies and a host of other harsh home truths.

Yet, after five rounds both have stood up to the NRL’s big guys, big clubs like the Storm, the Roosters, the Cowboys, the Broncos. Clubs with oodles of money, winning cultures, influential players and respected coaches.

These clubs have owned the NRL playing field and lofty ladder positions for years. But in 2018 they’ve had the dust kicked in their eyes by the NRL’s former whipping boys. These long time bullies of the NRL have been caught in the headlights, stumped down the leg side, blindsided by the hook, they’ve been caught with their collective pants down.

What about Penrith? They should be in the bottom 8. They’ve got supposed coaching issues and player unrest.

(AAP Image/Michael Chambers)

They should be easy beats this season due to their thinning roster and plans to replace their unpopular coach by Round 10. But where are the mountain men? Third. Third in NRL’s pecking order with gutsy, gritty wins to their name both at home and away.

What about the Gold Coast Titans? The bastard child of Queensland Rugby League, the misfiring misfit in Australia’s sporting graveyard are now the highest ranked Queensland team on the NRL ladder. Big brothers North Queensland and Brisbane Broncos are in unfamiliar territory, floundering outside the 8, kicking the corner post and scratching for answers.

And isn’t the greatest game of all meant to be for the big, modern man? The modern NRL adonis, with his genetically perfect physique, who can run like the wind and play anywhere from wing to backrow. Isn’t he supposed to be dominating the playing rosters?

Not according to former NRL discard Corey Thompson. “Too small to play NRL”, “Not big enough” clubs would say. Well the pint-sized Tigers’ winger is flying in the face of such ignorant mantras having scored match winners in two vital games this year and is so far in the running for buy of the season. Thompson not only typifies the Tigers this season, he is the embodiment of the season so far.

The players aren’t the only people standing up. What about the refs? They’re fighting back too. After years of having teams manipulate the ruck, slow play down allowing marquee players to set their side’s 10, the officials have blown hundreds of penalties and even sent the game’s pseudo referees like Cameron Smith to the bin as the boys in yellow put a line in the sand and take back the game from the coaches and players.

Still not convinced?

One glance at the NRL ladder will show that 2018 is the underdog’s year. Look at Manly for instance. A wealthy Northern Suburbs club has been hit with a salary cap infringement notice. They are busted on the field and wading through barrows of poop off it.

They have dramas. The Roosters have looked clunky and their marquees haven’t gelled. The Broncos look unfit and the Cowboys look old and frustrated. Parra have lost their mojo and Souths and the Dogs look like lost sheep.

The Sharks are battling and the Storm have been left stranded on Cronkless Island. These regular bully boys of the NRL are sitting with their tails between their legs in 2018 and it’s glorious if you’re on the other side.

This is the theme of 2018. It’s about the little guy, the maligned, the outsider, the fringy. It’s about not being pushed around, about holding you little head high and standing up to someone with a bigger head than you, looking them in the eye and saying enough is enough, you’re going down.